The Top 5 Moments from the 2018 E3 Nintendo Direct

Oh, what have I gotten myself into? I never should have decided on a “Top 5″ format.

The Top 5

Fire Emblem Three Houses

I’m mixed on this one. I haven’t been able to keep up with Fire Emblem since Awakening, and my wife’s kind of managed to sour me on the series a little besides. Even then, I’ve got over a thousand orbs on Fire Emblem Heroes that I really need to cash in.

Still, I’m glad that Fire Emblem is doing well enough to get another entry here, and I’m sure it will be good. Still, I’ve heard things about this Advanced Wars series, and I’d love a good opportunity to give that a look sometime, but Fire Emblem seems to have totally eclipsed it now.

Killer Queen Black

I might have this entirely wrong, but some of the gameplay reminds me of Joust or Balloon Fight, but on a bigger stage. So I’m curious.

Super Mario Party

Mario Party is fun. Going back to the original board game style sounds good.

I don’t know, the series has enough cachet with me to be interested, but the trailer just didn’t really show enough to make me actively want it yet.

Daemon X Machina

I like mechs, and this is by Kenichiro Tsukuda, the guy behind the Armored Core series, which I understand to be pretty good. Air and ground combat, seems like it would be a fun time.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

I probably should have just made this list about different Super Smash Bros. Ultimate stuff, because it pretty much ruled Nintendo’s showing. “Simply Smashing” as the subheader wasn’t so much a compliment as it was to say that Smash pretty much was the show — making it a dedicated Super Smash Bros. Direct would probably have been less deflating.

Having every character included and adding more on top of that is something I’ve wanted for quite a while, and while it’s unfortunate Waluigi isn’t playable, finally seeing Ridley in action (at the behest of western fans) was great. I hope Dillon graduates from Assist Trophy to playable character, too.

The other thing I’ve wanted for a while is to have all of the stages (and all their corresponding music), and while that hasn’t been promised, it sounds like the number will be plentiful. We’ll have to see how that goes, though if there was ever a time to take up SD Card room on a physical purchase (if needed), this would be it.

Actually, I’d also like the option to play as any version of a character, but I doubt we’re getting that. Mario was my main in Melee, but F.L.U.D.D. wrecked how I played him, and Dr. Mario’s quirks mean he’s just not the same. I could go back and just play Melee, sure, but I’d like to be able to test myself at my best (I feel like that one’s where I was at my best, especially with Mario) against new characters and challenges.

I just hope this one has a solid single-player Adventure Mode. I hadn’t thought of it much until now, but I’ve probably played Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS the least of any entry in the series, save maybe the original. Just expand on the Melee Adventure Mode format, include some fun interactions between characters like in The Subspace Emissary, and I’m good to go.

Biggest Letdown

No Metroid Prime 4

Was hoping they’d show something from this, but then, I was hoping they’d show more of anything, really. And that brings us to…

Not much of anything else, really.

Honourable Mentions

Everything else.

All told, it wasn’t a bad showing, necessarily — it’s just hamstrung by a lot of what was there having already been revealed previously, or being ports of other stuff. Fortnite, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Pokémon: Let’s Go? It’s great that they’re coming and coming to the Switch, but there wasn’t really any “wow” factor going on there. Certainly nothing on the level of a Super Mario Odyssey or a Metroid: Samus Returns or the kinds of surprises Nintendo has wheeled out before.

Heck, even Super Smash Bros. Ultimate saw its impact nerfed by being announced (sans title) a few months ago. We knew it was coming, but whereas the Inklings would have been a surprise, they weren’t.

Game announcements have gone from primarily being the domain of E3 to being sprinkled throughout the year — even in the weeks leading up to E3 itself, leaving little for the show, it would seem. So many games I’m interested in, from Mega Man 11 (no grudge there, given the circumstances) to Team Sonic Racing to various Yakuza games were announced outside of these press conferences and outside of the show itself, really diminishing the impact these platform holders’ shows have.

Strangely enough, I feel Xbox had the strongest showing, at least in terms of where my interests lie — see for yourself how it stacked up compared to this one and Sony’s. Between the latter two, I only give Nintendo the nod because it was better paced and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a show-stopper on its own, even if so much of this one’s reveal seemed focused on minutia.

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And that’s that! If you want to view the full Nintendo Direct for yourself, have at it!

And if you’re interested in Nintendo’s press release, head on over to the following page!

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David Oxford is a freelance writer of many varied interests. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.